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  1. #286
    Riggin' for Wiggins! Chamberlain's Avatar
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Quote Originally Posted by qrich
    11/11/11 can't get any closer.

    UCLA tips off against Loyola Maramount.
    Can't wait. I'll be active in this thread with the lack of NBA.

  2. #287
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    It's not a coincidence that Howland hires a major AAU coach and they're making huge recruiting splashes again despite Howland's "un-fun" style. I'm not saying there's anything illegal going on, furthest from it, just that it's the way recruiting goes now.

  3. #288
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Was just a smart recruiting move by Howland to get a AAU coach on his staff

  4. #289
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    UCLA's Reeves Nelson and Joshua Smith were both named to the Wooden Award preseason watch list of 50, along with two other Pac-12 players.

    Nelson, a junior power forward, is coming off a sophomore season that culminated in an all-Pac-10 first-team selection after averaging 13.9 points and 9.1 rebounds. Smith was named to the conference's all-freshman team after averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds.
    http://insidesocal.com/ucla/2011/10/...n-award-w.html

    8 days before tip-off!

  5. #290
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    4-Star Dominic Artis has decommitted from the program today. I'm semi disappointed by this move but Ben now has another scholarship to use to build next to Kyle Anderson with. Wonder if Artis just didn't want competition.

  6. #291
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Quote Originally Posted by qrich
    4-Star Dominic Artis has decommitted from the program today. I'm semi disappointed by this move but Ben now has another scholarship to use to build next to Kyle Anderson with. Wonder if Artis just didn't want competition.
    Looks like he's scared of the competition, but he also said UCLA is still #1 on the list, he just didn't feel comfortable with a commitment this early. Only time will tell.

    With Anderson, having Artis isn't that crucial, because as you said, we could use the scholarship to fill another hole with a top prospect.

  7. #292
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Some great UCLA news:

    While Ducks practiced against Ducks and Sun Devils squared off against Sun Devils and the Cardinal tried to clip the Cardinal, the UCLA basketball team spent the offseason training against Knicks and Lakers and Celtics.

    Heading into what is sure to be a difficult season with Pauley Pavilion under renovation, the Bruins feel a bit better having fine-tuned against Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and a host of other NBA players in Los Angeles during a lockout that drags on.

    "When you work out with those guys, you see how serious they are about it," junior forward Reeves Nelson said at the team's media day on Wednesday. "Once they come in this gym, that's all they cared about. They mentally helped us a lot because they tell us how to do a certain thing that you wouldn't get from a guy who's just a D-1 athlete. You get it from someone who has been in the league 12, 13 years."

    With sky-high expectations, UCLA hopes that second-hand knowledge will sink in.
    Though they lost two key perimeter players in shooting guard Malcolm Lee and small forward Tyler Honeycutt, the Bruins are thinking big because, well, they are big.

    UCLA returns leading scorer and rebounder in Nelson (13.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg) as well as mammoth center Joshua Smith (10.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg), plus valuable reserves Anthony Stover and Brendan Lane and North Carolina transfers David and Travis Wear.

    That 489 inches has UCLA looking all the way to the top.

    "I feel like if we don't win (conference), it's a let-down," Smith said. "Last year, we had our expectations about winning, people didn't think we could. We saw the magazines that had us fourth, third, fifth ... we finished second, basically a game from winning it. ... We feel this year if we don't win it, it's a let-down."

    In a league that is always filled with quick, diminutive point guards and typically up-tempo play, the Bruins are hoping to force their will on the opposition, not the other way around.

    Senior point guard Lazeric Jones returns to lead the charge, bolstered by the return of the function of his left wrist, which severely hampered him after he suffered a sprain in early-February. Jones is joined in the UCLA backcourt by senior point guard Jerime Anderson, who is suspended for two games (one exhibition) after being arrested on charges of theft, sophomore shooting guard Tyler Lamb and newcomers De'End Parker and Norman Powell.

    "Rather than looking at it as we're going to have to guard smaller people that are quicker," Nelson said, "they're going to have to guard big people who can do just as much as the small people can do."

    Coming off a big turnaround season - the Bruins advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament a year after finishing 14-18 - UCLA just hopes it is able to withstand the grind of playing the entire schedule on the road.

    "It's something that is actually going to feed this team," Stover said. "Not having a home court, always having to be the away team - the road show is what we're named now - it's really feeding our team. It's given us a little hunger, a little more strength, because we're going to have to fight every game."
    I'll be shocked if UCLA doesn't win the conference
    http://insidesocal.com/ucla/2011/10/...dy-for-ro.html

  8. #293
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Practice Update

    * Ben Howland would not name a starting lineup, but Tyler Lamb did indeed confirm he'll start at the two, and Howland and David Wear both said he'd be playing a lot of three.

    * The players really glowed about the arrival of De'End Parker, who strained his patella tendon in the weight room and will miss some practice. The Bruins raved about his athleticism and burst, and that's something UCLA has missed the last two years.

    * Joshua Smith said he's 10 pounds lighter than he was at the end of last year, so that's around 315. He should get down to about 305 by the time the season starts, and that's a good number for him right now. The key will be for him to keep it off during the season. He said his goal is to play 30 minutes a game, and seemed more concerned about his penchant for fouls than his conditioning limiting his minutes.

    * Anthony Stover told me he really worked extensively on his offense this summer, spending some time with trainers in Las Vegas to work on his moves. If he can add any offense to compliment his sound defense, that's an important piece behind Smith.

    * Lazeric Jones' play is going to be crucial this year, and he knows it. He admitted to never feeling right after injuring his wrist in February, but he's been 100 percent for a while now and has had a good summer, many players said. If he can play 25-percent better, he'll be among the better point guards in the conference.

    * Reeves Nelson got more tattoos. So did Tyler Lamb.

    * Speaking of Lamb, Howland said he worked on eliminating some of the side spin from his shot this summer. Lamb sounds very excited to take on the role of defensive stopper from Malcolm Lee.

    * I'll have videos from a half-dozen basketball players tomorrow throughout the day, as well as some football videos for the next two days (including a great one with Tyler Gonzalez), and I'll be off until Monday. Vinny Bonsignore is covering practice tomorrow, then the team is off for two days, then Jill Painter is covering Sunday. Please show them respect.
    http://insidesocal.com/ucla/2011/10/...ops-media.html

  9. #294
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    All awesome news. Really excited for the season to tip off!

  10. #295
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Quote Originally Posted by Chamberlain
    All awesome news. Really excited for the season to tip off!
    I just want to see the "slimmer" Smith along with Nelson's tats to see if he can compare with the Birdman

  11. #296
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    I don't think anyone can compare to the Birdman.

    But yeah, if Josh Smith is in better shape, that can only mean good things for the Bruins season and his future as a player.

  12. #297
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    UCLA ranked #20 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Other teams from the Pac-12 are Arizona at #16 and Cal at #24.

    Losing Honeycutt & Lee is going to hurt, but the additions of De'End Parker and Norman Powell are going to be huge, throw in another year of development for Joshua Smith and Reeves Nelson, throw in the Wear twins who will make an impact as they may see time at SF (6'10 SF!).

    The guy I want to see the most is Anthony Stover, though. He averaged .9 blocks in 8 minutes last year, and I expect him to get about 15-20 a night and might be around 2 blocks. Dude is going to be a shot blocker.

  13. #298
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Yahoo Team Report

    [QUOTE]The Bruins will be big this season. Real big.

    The question is: Do they have enough little guys to make it work and contend for a Pac-12 title?

    Coach Ben Howland has a physical squad in his corner again, led by 6-foot-10, 315-pound sophomore center Joshua Smith and 6-8, 235-pound junior forward Reeves Nelson. He also has 6-10 sophomore twins David and Travis Wear, transfers from North Carolina, and 6-10 shot swatter Anthony Stover.

    How fun would it be for Howland to put all five on the floor at the same time?

    The Bruins, of course, will keep at least a couple of guards on the court at all times. There are issues such as floor leadership, ball-handling, 3-point shooting, and perimeter defense that must be addressed.

    The backcourt choices aren

  14. #299
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Wow, David Wear starting at SF

    That's a huge lineup.

    But its true, the back court depth is going to be an issue, so the bigs better bring it on a regular basis. Might not be the most exciting team to watch this season, but they'll be tough to beat.

  15. #300
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    Default Re: Official UCLA Bruins Thread:

    Not only wear but Brendan Lane seeing time at SF as well and he's 6'9!

    Right now, the starting unit and bench seems to be (parentheses show secondary position[s])

    Starters:
    PG: Lazeric Jones
    SG: Tyler Lamb
    SF: David Wear (PF/CE)
    PF: Reeves Nelson (CE)
    CE: Joshua Smith

    Bench:
    SF/SG De'End Parker
    PG Jerime Anderson
    PF/SF/CE Brendan Lane
    SG/PG Norman Powell
    CE/PF Anthony Stover
    SG/PG Larry Drew II
    PF/CE Travis Wear

    I'd prefer to start Powell and Parker at the 2/3 myself, but doubt that happens

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